4 tips on how to deliver consistent winning brand experiences

I came across some really good advice on how to deliver consistent brand experiences – check-out full article swbratcher.com.

These are the four steps:

1. Provide service channel options relevent to your consumers’ profile. Eg Baby Bloomers like the human touch but Generation Y are used to interactive channels and expect instant gratification.
2. Choose authentic rather than WOW experiences. [Think Zappos.com.]
3. Measure your brand experience from the customers’ perspective , not from an operational efficiency perspective.
4. Engage your customer facing employees as happy, proud and empowered employees make happy customers. Apparently Nordstrom have a great approach - “Hire the smile; train the skill.”

Great stuff.

Wow - this ad that will get noticed

I love this.

It is simple.

It is engaging.

It is topical.

It will work.

Brands organisations must resist pressures from the demands of short-sighted share-holders

This is a great article by Customer Think about Tony Heish’s (CEO Zappos) decision to sell to Amazon.

It cuts to the heart of what this blog is all about.

Heish faced a dilemma that all CEOs face:

Either; bow to short-term share holder financial pressure...
Or; maintain Zappo’s commitment (and investment) to delivering brand experiences that delight consumers.

Zappo’s has a great reputation. [See my previous posting about their commitment to a culture and values that focused on WOWing consumers’ through service.]

To protect Zappo’s hard earned reputation Heish sold to Amazon [Another great brand experience organisation.]

It was really smart move.

The article quotes Heish’s rationale:

“...Some board members had always viewed our company culture as a pet project — “Tony’s social experiments,” they called it. I disagreed. I believe that getting the culture right is the most important thing a company can do. But the board took the conventional view — namely, that a business should focus on profitability first and then use the profits to do nice things for its employees.

... (I thought) better service would translate into lots of repeat customers, which would mean low marketing expenses, long-term profits, and fast growth.”

I totally agree.

It is simple. Delight your consumer and they will reward you with long-term loyalty, advocacy and more sells.

Zappo’s net sales were up almost 50 percent in first quarter of 2010...evidence that Heish got it right.

If you work at a brand organisation it would be really good idea to look at how you are delivering brand experiences across the path to advocacy and see how you can replicate Zappo’s success.

BMW stunt in Singapore

I came across this film about a BMW media stunt in Singapore thanks to Truly Deeply.

It is a good example of how a media innovation and some creative messaging will get noticed and can even get talked about (in this case on-line).

I am not generally a fan of stunts but I think this one works.

It delivers a brand experience that will make people smile, it is probably 'on strategy' but I don't think it will make people choose to buy BMW.

Enjoy.

Top 10 viral videos (UK)

There is a great article by Goviral in Media Week (UK).

It is clear that great content and a smart seeding strategy can make viral ads really effective way to get noticed.

If you are interested in viral ads and/or enjoy watching them go-read-it.

Here is the list of the UK current top ten.

Make a cup of tea, turn-off the phone/emails and enjoy (leave the gentle Stella 12 minute documentary until you have more time...particularly if you are into poster advertising. In my view it delivers a very rich and powerful brand experience)

1. Nike – Write the Future (Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam)
2. TomTom - Behind the scenes of Darth Vader's voice recording (Pool Worldwide Amsterdam)
3. Olympus -OPEN Giant (DSG)
4. Hi-Tec - Walk on water (Liquid Mountaineering) (CCCP Amsterdam)
5. Arriva/Movia - Mukhtars Fødselsdag - Bedre Bustur (Mukhtar's birthday - better bus ride) (bybird/cadaver)
6. Toyota Sienna "Swagger Wagon" (Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles)
7. Sony - 3D TV (Anomaly London)
8. Nissan Qashqai - Urban Bowling (TBWA\G1)
9. Stella Artois - Up There (Mother New York)
10. Google Chrome - Speed Tests (BBH New York)

I have logged below how many viewings these films have achieved to date and will check the numbers again then report back later this year.

Anyone want to predict which will have the highest increases?

CEOs take note

This is a scary stat.

CEOs should pay more attention to the brand experience that is being delivered by their organisation.

They should ask themselves whether it has the right people, culture and processes that are focused on delighting consumers.

If they don't they need to fix this situation soon or they are in grave danger of being beaten by competitors that do.

10 things you hate to hear when talking to a brand organisation

BNET UK recently posted a list of the 10 most annoying customer service phases (below).

Sadly, the list will be all too familiar to most of us

Why don’t brand organisations focus more attention on the brand experiences being delivered by their call customer service staff?

It isn’t complicated.

....an organisations that operates a service department with motivated staff who are empowered to deliver a brand experiences that delights the consumers will win.

... an organisation with unmotivated staff who work to a company policy/script will not.

If you want to win in this space take a look at brands like Zappos, Joie de Vivre and Apple.

They get it.

• They delight consumers.
• These delighted consumers buy again and become advocates.
• Their business results speak for themselves.

BNET’s list:

1. If you’re not completely satisfied…
2. Sorry, you’ve called the wrong number…
3. Your call is important to us..
4. Please listen carefully. Our menu has changed.
5. To be honest..
6. Sorry about the wait..
7. It shouldn’t be like that..
8. That’s our policy..
9. I can’t do that..
10. We’ll call you back..

Great internal communication is a vital part of a successful brand organisation

This video, from ABT in Australia, is a great spoof about how some companies handle internal communications.

The trouble is that sadly a lot of companies do get it wrong, resulting in front line staff not delivering to the consumer what has been promised in the marketing.

You know the story.

Brand X launches a swanky new ad promising that they care about you (their customer) blah blah.

The next time you telephone them you go through an automated answering service and eventually end-up talking to someone that can't deal with your question and/or gives you the clear impression they don't really care.

Does this sound familiar?

This is clearly brand suicide.

Brands must ensure they deliver what they promise. If they are really smart they will go one step further and actively find ways to delight consumers.

Motivated staff and good internal communication play a vital role.

Ignore it at your peril.

Marketers must build Experience Brands to win in the 21st century

This is a very interesting Slideshare presentation from Jack Morton.

It echoes a lot of the stuff I talk about.

Here are some extracts from it and links to my previous postings:

"Brands are defined more by what they do than what they say" [Actions speak louder than words]

"Experience brands understand that the consumer experience has to carry through to the experience of actually using the product or service" [Never in the history of brands..]

"Experience brands do things that get people talking about them" [Delight consumers to build advocacy]

Great stuff.

The message is simple

To win in the 21st century brand marketers need to think very seriously about how to build an organisation that delivers and delights consumers.

A good place to start would be to gather all key stakeholders

...map out the Path to Advocacy

...do gap analysis

...work-out how you are going to delight consumers so they buy again and may be tell their friends.

This is an effective way to build a competitive advantage and sustainable long-term growth

Brand success starts with motivated employees

Running a successful hotel isn’t easy. I have stayed in many that are terrible… but (sadly) few that are excellent.

I recently saw an interview on Bloomberg with Chip Conely (CEO and founder of the Joie De Vivre boutique hotels in California).

It sounds like he has created a winning organisation that has loyal consumers who actively advocate the brand (a pretty good measure of success).

He says it is all about the employees; and how happy employees are great for the consumer and great for the company. His inspiration was Maslow ‘Hiercarchy of Needs’ (above) .

A challenge he has is to motivate 1000+ cleaners that clean the loos 5 days a week! He achieves this by working out how to provide recognition and meaning to their lives (stuff at the top of the pyramid).

He also looked closely at companies like Apple and South West Airlines. (Brands I frequently eulogise about.)

A key step he then took was to change the company culture by firstly changing the mission statement to “Create Joy” and secondly by training everyone on how to find simple moments to give joy to the customer.

I love this kind of stuff.

If you work for a brand organisation that is serious about delighting the consumer then maybe you should watch his interview and/or buy his book.

Delighting the consumer at the ‘second moment of truth’ should be the objective of all brands

I read a comment made by Nigella Lawson in a recent interview that all brands teams should take note of.

When asked whether Nigella was into gadgets, she responded by saying: “I am...I love a new toy. I read instruction manuals because I like revelling in my purchase in the same way I read the brochures that come with face creams. I like getting the full pleasure from every purchase.”

This is a clear insight – albeit from an unlikely source – into why it is so important to deliver at the ‘second moment of truth’.

I go on about how brand organisations must consider the brand experience they deliver at every stage of the path to advocacy. The buy stage is really important.

If you can deliver an experience that WOWs consumers when they first open and use a new purchase they are much more likely to become a loyalist and even an advocate.

I just don't get why so few brands get it right. [Think Apple]

Cadbury’s plan to open cafes that should delight consumers

Cadbury's [according to a recent post by Business Spectator] are going to open a chain of cafes in the UK - called Cadbury Cocoa House.

I love this idea.

It will be a brilliant way for Cadbury’s to deliver their consumers’ with brand experiences that delight.

I go on about this all the time...but for me it is obvious, when a brand delivers an experience that delights consumers they will buy again and tells others about it.

Business Spectator talks about how other categories could adapt this concept. I totally agree.

My recommendation for any brand organisation is to build a collaborative team (marketing, sales, customer service, etc) and work out how you can deliver brand experience that will WOW consumers.

That’s how to drive advocacy and business success.

P&G places greater focus on packaging and announces a ‘design thinking’ approach

Buy is a critical stage of the path to advocacy. This is when the consumer is in-store selecting which brand they want to buy – or the consumers' ‘first moment of truth, as P&G calls it.

There is an interesting article in AdAge in which P&G has announced that all marketing ideas now have to show they work at the shelf.

This is smart.

Packaging is one of the most influential touchpoints. Moreover, Nielson Bases research for P&G revealed that it is a key driver of awareness.

That is why P&G are putting design thinking at the centre of their multi-functional brand-building teams.

The challenges they face are known by all brand organisations:

• Big retailers are restricting use of displays and point-of-purchase advertising.
• Retailers and consumers are also pressuring brands to make their packages smaller and thereby more sustainable.

This means the role of the package is much more important so BIGGER ideas are critical - because when retailers see big ideas they tend to give brands more space.

P&G have asked their communications agencies to vet ideas first in store, because that often can be the most challenging environment to communicate an idea.

My advice is to follow this approach, but also make sure your packaging is informative and consistent with what the brand is all about.

Oh yes, and one last thing....don’t change it too often.

How to make a consumer feel when they open the packaging

The usage stage of the path to advocacy is important.

The first part of it is the often described as the ‘second moment of truth’ (the first moment being in store).

This moment can provide a good opportunity to deliver a WOW brand experience.

Some brands get this wrong (think anything in a plastic moulding)

Some brands get it absolutely right (think Apple).

The film above is a fun parody of the affect you should be achieving when the consumers opens the box for the first time. If you can do this you are far more likely to cement the consumers' view that they made the right brand choice.

They may even tell their friends about it.

If you can do that and build advocacy you will have a winning brand.

Delivering a brand experience that get noticed

Bravo Experience posted this brilliant Pampers TV ad.

I completely agree with their comment: "it proves that an experience can be created through any medium."

I love it.

Dream Product

I came across this fantastic product thanks to a Tweet from Guy Kawaski.

A remote control that can handle up to eight digital components...that is also a beer opener.

What can I say....other than I want one.

It is possible for high street stores to win against on-line stores

This cheeky UK poster campaign Dixons highlights a major challenge brand stores face in this new internet age.

Consumers shop in a number of different ways. These are two:

They can shop in a store with a nice environment, a wide selection of goods, and that has sales staff who are courteous and know what they are talking about.

They can buy on-line.

Okay, a lot of consumers do both (the insight that lead to this campaign).

Some stores invest significant time and resource in ensuring they deliver brand experiences that deliver and delight consumers. While other stores don’t ; they have rude and ill informed staff that don’t give a damn.

Which do you think will survive and thrive this new age?

John Lewis Partnership focus on delivering brand experiences that WOW. Take a look at their customer care and business results to see how it pays-off.

If you manage a brand store that does not deliver a brand experience that WOWs consumers you are likely to fail as online stores take ever more share from the high street.

My recommendation is to leverage one of the main competitive advantages physical stores have... the ability to interact with consumers on an emotional level using the human touch. It is a powerful tool. Use it.

Are UK supermarkets ripping us off?

Do you check your receipt carefully at the check-out?

No...well, I recommended that you do.

My wife does and some times she finds a small error.

The most common error being when a promotional offer (i.e. buy one / get one second at half price, 25% off, etc) does not get deducted.

She reckons that without a little diligence she could miss-out on around 50p - £1 per month. That equates to up to about £12 per year. Multiply this by every shopper in the UK and it quickly builds-up to around a whopping £1/4 billion a year.

That is not great, but it is how some supermarkets handle it that really irritates her.

She is told to take her receipt and wait in the (so called) customer service queue - behind customers buying lottery tickets, etc - to claim her money back.

This is not good enough.

If I were running a supermarket I would would take this as an opportunity to deliver a brand experience that aims to surprise and delight the consumer.

Make a bigger deal of it. The check-out person should be empowered to thank the consumer for highlighting the error, and maybe even rewarding them (In some supermarkets not long ago the policy was to pay-out double the difference.)

Okay, I recognise that this could reduce revenues and add costs (clearly not a great combination). However, turning this situation into a positive and memorable brand experience would build greater loyalty and advocacy.

A good way to differentiate and win greater market share in this extremely competitive market.